A geographic information system (GIS) is a system that associates data according to the geographic coordinates of its elements. Such a system generally utilizes a variety of data types, including, for example, imagery, maps, and location based-information, such as retail stores and restaurants.
GIS data systems are now commonly used for a variety of services, including through online and mobile devices. These systems typically enable a user to locate desired information (data) by inputting the geographic region of interest. For example, such systems enable a user to identify real estate listings in a desired geographic area. In some cases, these systems also enable a user to interact with a map to locate data of interest.
GIS data systems should be useful to businesses that are considering expansion, relocation, or entry into new territories by enabling a person to identify appropriate geographic regions. However, existing systems are inadequate in that they do not enable businesses to search for geographical regions using criteria relevant to the particular business and to its plans. As such, these systems are not useful for business formation, expansion or relocation decision-making, in that they do not provide data relating to regional economic growth rates, tax rates, and available state and local incentives, accessibility to transport centers and utilities, nearby technological expertise such as local universities and businesses, together with location demographics, such as cost of living factors, and local income and education levels. Furthermore, existing systems do not enable a user to compare data associated with one prospective region to data associated with another prospective region. Consequently, most businesses rely upon consulting firms, realtors, and site location professionals to compile such data and make recommendations, often based upon limited and incomplete information.
Most state and local governments fund and maintain economic development organizations (EDOs), which serve to promote commercial development and other economic opportunities according to assigned territories. These entities often market their respective locations and services to businesses and people in an inefficient manner. They tend to have overlapping responsibilities with other economic development organizations, including those affiliated with metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs), those run by quasi-governmental agencies, such as utilities, private organizations, such as universities, and private/public partnerships; any or all of these may be funded by local businesses. While all of these organizations focus on local or regional economic development, their inefficient marketing efforts and overlapping responsibilities create confusion for businesses seeking regional and local information, and make it difficult to identify which economic development organizations and that should be contacted. There is currently no central marketplace where economic development organizations can market their respective locations and services, or be searched or compared.
For all of the foregoing reasons, economic development is a field that could benefit substantially from use of an integrated, comprehensive web-based GIS system and service dedicated to economic development. Specifically, entities interested in identifying geographic regions for possible commercial facility development, expansion or relocation would benefit from a central portal where they could research, identify, and compare geographic regions of interest according to a variety of data which is important to them, and identify economic development organizations associated with regions of possible interest. Further, public and private development organizations would benefit from being able to market their services and regions, and provide local data and commentary, through a central marketplace to those entities looking to build or relocate operations.
The present invention is directed to solving this need, by providing online systems and methods that integrate local economic development organization information with a wide array of data, and makes all of this information available through a GIS system. These systems and methods enable users to search, identify and compare locations suitable for their economic development and business needs. The invention enables the user to identify locations of possible interest by searching of GIS data, together with information provided by participating EDOs, and to compare data associated with identified regions for further analysis and consideration. Further, the system enables a user to identify EDOs associated with identified locations, to review statistical data aggregated for those EDOs, as well as information posted by participating EDOs, and to communicate with EDOs in order to obtain further information, such as economic incentives that may be available in the identified or in neighboring regions. All of the foregoing information is associated with a fully-searchable GIS database, and is accessible via an online portal or website.
Conventional geographic information systems have limited usefulness in both their overall functionality and user interface by requiring a user to disambiguate the nature of a search request, selecting search scopes like “address search” or “lot number search” as either an explicit component of the search process or implicitly by allowing only a single scope (most often “address”) within which all search requests are interpreted. In contrast, the present invention is directed to GIS systems and methods that enable the user to search multiple data fields or sets to identify geographic regions of possible interest, and to compare identified regions by selecting datasets for comparison. The systems and methods further enable a user to select geographic regions of interest to access the data associated with such regions, and to create search criteria from data associated with a selected region.
The present invention is directed to interactive online GIS systems and methods that provide location specific, detailed, demographic and economic information that can be displayed through a graphic user interface that enables the user to select the dataset to be displayed, and to compare selected data among different locations. Thus, for example, a user could select the display of specific demographic data, or switch to other demographic data, economic data, local transportation data, utility data, or other available data sets, merely by selecting a different tab or button in the user interface.
As can be appreciated, the present invention provides a geographic information system that provides the user with a great degree of flexibility and utility when seeking to research, identify and compare geographic regions for purposes of possible economic development, business expansion and/or relocation. Moreover, the systems and methods provide an ideal platform for economic development organizations to market their respective regions and services, and to initiate communication with entities that may have an interest in such regions.